Tayra

Tayra the zoo in Prague

The tayra or Hyrare ( Eira barbara ) is a living in Central and South America carnivore species of the marten family ( Mustelidae ). It is related to the only member of the genus Eira and work closely with the occurring also in Europe Real martens (Martes ).

Features

Tayras remember in their body to weasels, but are much larger. The body is elongated and slender, the limbs are relatively short. The short, dense fur is dark brown; the head is slightly brighter than the rest of the body, and on the throat is most often a yellow or white spot. There is also a light morph, in this the coat color is grayish and the head is darker. The tail is long and bushy. These animals can reach a body length 56-68 inches, which must be added 38 to 47 inches tail length come, and their weight is 4 to 5 kg.

Distribution and habitat

Tayras live in Central and South America. Their range extends from southern Mexico to Paraguay and northern Argentina. Their habitat is mainly tropical rainforests.

Way of life

Tayras are mainly active during the day and hold off on both on the ground and in the trees. You can climb very well and cover greater distances and jumping, also they are good swimmers. For the night they lay nests in tree cavities or abandoned burrows of other animals, sometimes they also hide themselves in tall grass.

There are different social behavior information, those found solitary, in pairs or in small family groups.

Tayras are omnivores, but small mammals make the main part of their diet. They hunt among other rodents (eg sting rats), rabbits or small brocket deer. In addition, they eat birds, invertebrates and fruit.

After a gestation period of around 63 to 70 days the female gives birth to usually two pups. This open his eyes in the second month of life and are weaned after two to three months. In captivity, these animals can be 18 years old.

Tayras and people

Some indigenous peoples have tamed the tayra, to keep the control of rodent pests in the villages. In contrast, this raccoon whites often regarded as a pest because it penetrates into farms and chicken tears.

In most parts of South America the tayra is the most abundant predator, since it shows little fear of people and is also seen in the vicinity of villages. The World Conservation Union IUCN sees them in their Red List of Threatened Species as not at risk ( "Least Concern" ). However, the Mexican subspecies ( E. b. Senex ) is now considered endangered.